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35 Creative Logo Design Ideas (Cool + Modern Inspiration for 2023)

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Read Time: 12 min

If you’re starting a business, you’re going to need a logo—and not just any old logo, but a smart, creative logo design idea that clearly differentiates you from other businesses in your niche. 

Creative Art LogoCreative Art LogoCreative Art Logo
Art Studio Creative Design Idea, one of the many great logo design ideas you'll find on Envato Elements

We’ve written 35 Creative Logo Design Ideas as a guide for new businesses like yours to help you identify best practices when it comes to creating an effective logo and to help you tap into the best creative logo design ideas around today. 

We'll start by discussing seven core inspiring logo design trends. Then we share unique, creative logo design ideas from Envato Elements and Envato's Placeit logo maker for each trend!

How to Make a Creative Logo: 6 Essential Tips for 2023

Creative Junkies LogoCreative Junkies LogoCreative Junkies Logo
Edit templates like Creative Junkies to add your unique, creative logo design ideas.

1. Start With Your Brand Identity

A creative logo’s job is to act as the face of a company, but it can’t sum up everything about a company. A logo is just one part of your company’s larger brand identity and grows out of your brand story. Take some time to think about why your company does what it does, who it serves, where and how it'll make a difference, and what it stands for.

Contemplating these questions will help you create an effective brand strategy and create well-considered visuals and messaging that'll support the meaning of your creative logo design and over time make it memorable.

2. Understand the Basic Forms Creative Logos Take

Creative Rocket - Logo Template Creative Rocket - Logo Template Creative Rocket - Logo Template
Creative Rocket Logo Template, a combination of an image and text-based logo on Envato Elements

Before you create your own innovative, creative  logo, it's important to know the three basic forms logos take so you can decide which is best for your particular brand. The most creative logos are either:

  • an image-based symbol, e.g. Twitter
  • a text-based symbol, e.g. Google
  • an image and text-based symbol, e.g. Puma

Innovative, creative logo design ideas are:

  • simple
  • relevant
  • memorable
  • versatile 
  • use colour thoughtfully
  • reference trends intelligently

If you want to learn more about cool, creative business logo ideas, read the article below:

Q Line Logo TemplateQ Line Logo TemplateQ Line Logo Template
Q Line Logo Template is an example of a simple yet creative logo template on Envato Elements

Trends aren't to be followed blindly, but they’re a great reference point for unique, creative logo design ideas and inspiration. Current trends and styles may:

  • embrace simplicity
  • celebrate colour
  • use typography imaginatively
  • experiment with geometry 
  • make creative use of negative space
  • go retro
  • get playful

Later, we’ll look more closely at these inspiring logo designs and show you some cool and innovative logo ideas for businesses that apply them tastefully.

5. Be Aware of the Competition

Studying the logos of businesses both in your niche and outside it is a great way to find the best creative logo design inspiration and to refine your own creative design ideas.

When you look at simple creative logos, ask yourself whether the logos reflect the six qualities of good logo design. If so, how, and if not, how do they deviate? When you look at the logos of companies in your niche, do you see any commonalities between them?

If so, ask yourself how you can buck their trend to differentiate yourself and make your creative logo designs stand out. 

6. Experiment

Butterfly Creative Logo Template on Envato ElementsButterfly Creative Logo Template on Envato ElementsButterfly Creative Logo Template on Envato Elements
Butterfly Creative Logo Template on Envato Elements

The best creative ideas for logos probably won’t come to you in your sleep—although they might. More likely, you’ll come up with cool logo creative design ideas through a process of experimentation with some trial and error. If you don’t hit on just the right design immediately, don’t be discouraged—just keep working on your creative design ideas until they’re resolved. 

7 Creative Logo Design Ideas and Trends for 2023

Here are seven current logo trends with an inspiring logo design idea for each trend from Envato Elements, along with four creative ideas for logos for each from the Placeit logo maker.

Trend 1. Embrace Simplicity

Paper Bird Simple Logo DesignPaper Bird Simple Logo DesignPaper Bird Simple Logo Design
Paper Bird Simple Logo Design on Envato Elements

Because your cool creative logo is the foundation of your brand’s identity, you may believe that it's got to be complicated. In an attempt to create something original, you may try to cram as many ideas and elements as you can into this small symbol. 

What you need to do is actually the opposite. If you’ve done your homework and studied the logos of a variety of brands for creative business logo design ideas, you know that simplicity is a dominant feature of the best logos. Simplicity has been the buzzword in contemporary graphic design, and by extension logo design, for a long time. 

Minimalist Flamingo Creative Logo TemplateMinimalist Flamingo Creative Logo TemplateMinimalist Flamingo Creative Logo Template
This flamingo is one of the top creative logo designs with a minimalist style.

The most creative simple logos allow a viewer to recognise it at a glance and to remember it long after they first laid eyes on it. The other benefit of simplicity in creative logo design is that it allows the logo to work in a variety of applications, from digital to print. If you use lots of lines, colours, gradients, and fine details, your logo is probably going to break down when scaled and lose its integrity. To test your design, try fitting it into a one-inch square and judge the results. 

If you want your logo to be memorable and versatile, remember the old adage: Less is more. You can still have an innovative creative logo without adding in all the bells and whistles.

Trend 2. Celebrate Colour

Colourful Butterfly Logo DesignColourful Butterfly Logo DesignColourful Butterfly Logo Design
Colourful Butterfly Logo Design on Envato Elements

Bright colours have been a dominant trend in graphic design for a while. And with good reason: colour has a profound effect on the human psyche that you need to take into consideration. You should understand the impact of the colours you choose on your target audience and select company logo colours they'll respond to positively.  

Colorful Drop LogoColorful Drop LogoColorful Drop Logo
This creative drop logo has nice design ideas that are implemented with colour.

When you’re looking for cool creative logo ideas, keep your eye on the way colour is used and think about the message you want to communicate with colour in your branding and logo design. If you want to know more about colour and how to combine it effectively in logo design, read 10 Best Logo Colour Schemes & Combinations.

Trend 3.  Use Typography Imaginatively

Typography Logo DesignTypography Logo DesignTypography Logo Design
Typography Logo Design on Envato Elements

One of the most exciting developments in contemporary and creative ideas for logos is the creative use of typography, which has seen many brands moving away from image-based logos and text-and-image logos and embracing purely text-based logos. 

With this type of logo, typography is used imaginatively to represent the company’s full name, monogram, or initial. Text-based logos are a good option for a business with a relatively short name as it gets the name out there and is easy to associate with the brand.

Mackeros Letter M Logo TemplateMackeros Letter M Logo TemplateMackeros Letter M Logo Template
This unique and creative letter M shows how typography fits in logo design ideas.

Typographical experimentation can also be applied to text-and-image logos where, as in the innovative creative logo examples below, a letter in the company’s name is replaced with relevant objects while keeping the company name recognisable. Experimentation can also lead to developing new typographic shapes, incorporating photography, modifying existing typefaces, and more. 

Trend 4. Experiment With Geometry

Goldfish Geometric Logo Design on Envato ElementsGoldfish Geometric Logo Design on Envato ElementsGoldfish Geometric Logo Design on Envato Elements
Goldfish Geometric Logo Design on Envato Elements

We learn all about geometric shapes—squares, rectangles, circles, triangles—in primary school, and as it turns out, these shapes play an important role in logo design. These basic shapes bring symmetry and a structured look and feel to simple creative logos. 

Hexagon Logo TemplateHexagon Logo TemplateHexagon Logo Template
This cool and creative hexagon logo uses colours and shapes to make a special design.

Geometric and creative logos are so simple that they can be scaled easily and consistently, and they've got the added benefit of communicating the fundamental qualities of a business in a direct way.

  • squares = reliability, stability, order
  • circles = wholeness and harmony
  • triangles that point up = power  
  • triangles that point down = instability

These qualities make geometrical shapes a perennial favourite in innovative creative logo design. When used in the contemporary context, think of keeping their look fresh with bright colour palettes.

Trend 5. Make Use of Negative Space

Game Joystick and Hands Negative Space LogoGame Joystick and Hands Negative Space LogoGame Joystick and Hands Negative Space Logo
Negative Space Logo Design on Envato Elements

Looking for creative ideas for your logo? Making use of negative space in innovative and clever ways is quite a skill. Negative space is the background space around and between a logo symbol. 

For example, if your logo is two birds sitting on a branch, the birds and branch, the shape of the birds and the branch are positive space, and everything around them is negative space. Shaping the birds and the branch in such a way that an area of the background (the negative space) forms another image is what we mean here by making creative use of negative space. Doing so strategically adds another layer of meaning to your logo and can charm and entertain your target audience. 

Panda Game Creative Logo TemplatePanda Game Creative Logo TemplatePanda Game Creative Logo Template
This creative logo design is hiding both a panda and a video game controller in its layout.

Trend 6. Go Retro

Car Service Retro Logo Design on Envato ElementsCar Service Retro Logo Design on Envato ElementsCar Service Retro Logo Design on Envato Elements
Car Service Retro Logo Design on Envato Elements

As a counter to the clean simplicity in contemporary design, ever so slowly, the design aesthetics of anywhere from the 1950s to the early 90s are beginning to creep into logo design, maybe as a result of pre-digital nostalgia. 

Cactus Tequila Retro Mascot LogoCactus Tequila Retro Mascot LogoCactus Tequila Retro Mascot Logo
This retro-style creative cactus logo is a perfect example of blending the old with the new.

Whatever the case, design influences from the past are resurfacing, albeit with a contemporary twist. They give brands an opportunity to set themselves apart from competitors by mashing together a variety of elements to come up with cool creative logo ideas. 

Trend 7. Get Playful

Playful Splash Logo Design on Envato ElementsPlayful Splash Logo Design on Envato ElementsPlayful Splash Logo Design on Envato Elements
Playful Splash Logo Design on Envato Elements

Getting playful with your logo designs will always win you points with your target audience. Though a playful logo is an obvious fit for businesses that target children, it doesn’t mean that they're the only businesses that could benefit from adding playful twists to their logo design. 

Baby Bee - Happy Flying Baby Bee Mascot LogoBaby Bee - Happy Flying Baby Bee Mascot LogoBaby Bee - Happy Flying Baby Bee Mascot Logo
Although this cool creative logo is so playful that it's got to be shared here.

It's true, however, that this approach won’t work with every business. If you’re a financial or legal business, for example, you may want to stay clear of this style idea, but there are a host of other businesses that would do well to communicate a penchant for lightheartedness and fun through their cool logos. 

More Elegant Logo Design Inspiration to Try in 2023

If you’re looking for more creative logo ideas, it’s always helpful to check out more than one source. That’s why we’re including a few creative logo design suggestions from Envato Elements. 

If you've got a bit of experience working with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, then Envato Elements has tons of great templates to help you come up with interesting logo ideas. These three examples embody many of the most creative ideas for logos we’ve discussed. They all come in EPS and AI file formats, are simple to edit, and can easily be customised to meet your business needs.

Just a few of the cool logo templates available at Envato ElementsJust a few of the cool logo templates available at Envato ElementsJust a few of the cool logo templates available at Envato Elements
Just a few of the cool and creative logo ideas available at Envato Elements

Here are some great business logo ideas for those with Photoshop and Illustrator chops:

These are just a few of the great logo templates available at Envato Elements, and you can download as many as you want for one low monthly price.

Design Creative Logos With Placeit’s Logo Maker 

Coming up with cool logo ideas isn’t easy. But if you need help, tap into more of the best creative logo design inspiration by checking out the online logo maker at Placeit. 

Quickly make the best creative logos using the Placeit Logo MakerQuickly make the best creative logos using the Placeit Logo MakerQuickly make the best creative logos using the Placeit Logo Maker
Quickly make the best creative logos using the Placeit Logo Maker.

The Logo Maker is a fun, hands-on, low-stress way for design novices to try out various logo creative ideas for business, get familiar with making design decisions, and understand how a logo is put together. Best of all, it’s free and easy to use, though you'll pay a small fee to download your high-quality logo creations. 

For tips on how to get the most out of this incredibly versatile logo maker, check out this step-by-step tutorial:

Take One of These Creative Logo Ideas for a Spin

In such a crowded marketplace, coming up with cool logo creative ideas isn’t easy, and neither is creating an amazing logo from scratch.

Using the tools at your disposal like the online logo maker from Placeit and the ready-made templates at Envato Elements can give you the best creative logo design inspiration and help you create beautiful logos in no time. So take one of these unique creative logo design ideas for a spin today.

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